"The salary levels of the PM and Government Ministers is unprecedented in our history. All except four Cabinet Ministers are earning $185,000 per annum. Three Ministers are receiving $200,000 per annum. The salary of the Attorney General is set at $235,0000 annually. And the Prime Minister is paid $328,750 per annum. This is a 210% increase from the base salary of the PM in 2006 before the coup. The Prime Minister’s overseas travel per diem has increased by 200% from post election levels. If he travels to New Zealand, he will receive almost $3,000 per night. This is the least amount of per diems that he will receive, if compared against travel to Europe or the United States or Asia." - NFP

April 20, 2017

MEDIA RELEASE

NFP WILL REPEAL PARLIAMENTARY REMUNERATIONS DECREE

A National Federation Party Government will repeal the Parliamentary Remunerations Decree and will, through Parliament, establish an independent emoluments commission to look at salaries, perks and privileges of Members of Parliament.

Until the determination is set by a Parliamentary emoluments commission, the salaries of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers will be automatically reduced by 25% from the current exorbitantly highly and self-determined salaries done by the Fiji First Government. Similarly, rates of allowances and per diem will be reduced.

The independent emoluments commission will determine the salaries of all public office holders including the President, Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker. Unlike before there is no relativity of the salaries of office holders to those of the Leader of the Opposition and Members of Parliament.

It must be recalled that the Parliamentary Remunerations Decree was promulgated by the Fiji First Government on 3rd October 2014, 3 days before the resumption of parliamentary democracy. This basically means that the Fiji First Government prescribed for themselves what their salaries should be!

Furthermore, while paying themselves exorbitant salaries, Government is stifling resources and funding for the Opposition. Worse of all, the weekly salary and allowances of the Prime Minister is manifestly more than what an ordinary worker would earn in a year on the meagre minimum wage rate of $2.32 an hour.

The Attorney General and Minister for Economy’s excuse that large salaries for Government Ministers avoids corruption is pathetic and self-serving. He conveniently sidestepped the issue that was raised by students during his Budget consultation who probably know much better.

There continues to be one rule for Government Ministers and one rule for everybody else. The lower ranks of public servants are under intense scrutiny through anti-corruption laws and FICAC (Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption).

Against this backdrop the Attorney General justifies payment of unilaterally imposed large salaries for Government Ministers under the pretext of preventing them from being tempted into corruption.

On 29th September last year, parliamentarians voted for themselves, the PM and Cabinet Ministers, a massive increase in allowances and per diem. Only the NFP voted against it and refused to accept the increased allowances or personally benefit from it. Any increased allowances paid to our Members is used for relief assistance. Members of Parliament voting for a monetary increase for themselves based on a report done by themselves breaks every fibre of transparency, accountability and good governance.

The Leader of the Opposition and Opposition MPs have also contributed 10% of their annual salary of $50,000 towards relief work for TC Winston. The NFP Leader has contributed 50% of his annual salary of $50,000. There were no such reciprocal measures done by Fiji First Government despite enjoying massive salaries.

The salary levels of the PM and Government Ministers is unprecedented in our history. All except four Cabinet Ministers are earning $185,000 per annum. Three Ministers are receiving $200,000 per annum. The salary of the Attorney General is set at $235,0000 annually.

And the Prime Minister is paid $328,750 per annum. This is a 210% increase from the base salary of the PM in 2006 before the coup. The Prime Minister’s overseas travel per diem has increased by 200% from post election levels. If he travels to New Zealand, he will receive almost $3,000 per night. This is the least amount of per diems that he will receive, if compared against travel to Europe or the United States or Asia.

The people of Fiji need to be reminded that at the time of the coup, Commodore Josaia Voreqe famously claimed no one in his team would profit from the coup. Ten years on, he now pays himself the biggest prime ministerial salary in Fiji’s history. This is yet another forgotten and shattered promise on the part of Fiji First.

This obscene quotation has to be False News? Tell us, enlighten us, please, that this response Is not real? In 2007 we were universally told in numerous 'consultations' held in innumerable Chambers of Commerce and other hastily convened venues that "No individual would be permitted to serve on multiple boards nor to chair a multiplicity of committees, commissions etc etc". This with benefit of many years of hindsight has proven to be fallacious, mendacious - to be plain and simple .... a straight out LIE. Multiple witnesses to these lies exist. Many have since passed on. But lies persist having a reality and malignity of their own: a pervasive, rotten and infectious poison, A Blot on the Landscape if you will.

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Nand

20/4/2017 08:42:41 am

NFP voted against the salary increase because they were on the other side of the house (and therefore expected to object government's proposals). The question to be asked is "does the increase in salary reflect the achievements of the government? As an economist, Dr Prasad should be the first to understand that increase in executive salary is a global phenomena. Never in the history of USP professors have been paid what they are paid today. Never in the history of Google the CEO has been paid what he is paid today.

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Dekho

21/4/2017 08:41:52 pm

How come you are such a strident spokesman for the rich and powerful in contemporary Fiji society's?
Are you a regime lackey who has also benefited beyond your talent to amass wealth under the patronage of this rogue governments?

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Samjoe

22/4/2017 02:12:07 pm

Nand Babwah what achievement of this chorwa government who talking about?
Unprecedented level of corruption is the defining " achievement " of this chorwa government.

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Fiji First Party

20/4/2017 11:27:31 am

The Hon. ‘Minister of Everything’ said “I increase my salary to $400,000 per year so that I don’t get to be corrupted”. That is this Minister’s base-line, his bottom-line, to be ‘zero percent corrupt’. The Minister says that if he meets his ‘ideal’ and his ‘stipulated’, salary increment than the Minister would not be corrupted, at all, zero percent –..... OR ELSE !

In reality, this Minister, since 2014, has not once, met his ‘ideal’ salary increment of the stipulated $400,000 per year. So we see an indication, the justifiable proportion, a quantifiable percentage, of the Corruption that is or should be, allowed to this particular Minister (of Everything) as a compensation for the acute difference between his aspired ‘ideal’ and the ‘reality’ of the pittance he presently earns.

This very same Minister (of Everything) applied a similar corkscrew argument in his (failed) attempt to STEAL our party name. Then he said that his “FijiFirst” is one word. And our original “Fiji First Party” is two words – so the two are not one and the same – so he and another Chor Bainimarama felt at liberty to STEAL our name. An argument, we see, as twisted, if not more, as a pig’s dick.

Saab Ke Saab Sala CHOR!!!

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Rajend Naidu

20/4/2017 12:01:57 pm

Aiyaz Congratulations man. You have done very well - for yourself - since your rise to power in the 2006 military coup.
Kahlil Gibran the Lebanese poet and philosopher had told us how some people get to be very successful in life - by " the sacrifice of conscience and honor".

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Chiku

20/4/2017 01:35:30 pm

Couldn't agree more with Fijileaks. Yes, " Fiji doesn't need corruptly inclined Ministers to run country". With his statement " I increased my salary to $400,000 per year so that I don't get to be corrupted", Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum gives us a confirmation that self- serving scoundrels took over the reigns of government following the 2006 coup.

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Samjoe

20/4/2017 03:06:07 pm

It's not hard to see where that native Fijian and Pacific Islander stereotype of the Indian as greedy, cunning,accumulating, scheming scoundrels came from. It came from people like Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum. We have had that variety in politics ( both local council and national levels ), sports ( officials and administrators ), business, religious organisations . Aiyaz is a good representation of that variety of ethically challenged Indian.

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Dekho

20/4/2017 06:04:58 pm

In Fiji Hindi we describe people like Aiyaz Khaiyum as " Bahuth besaram fala ". A very shameless creature.
Greed for wealth and power has made Khaiyum such a fala.

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PAST GOVERNMENTS

20/4/2017 09:35:47 pm

PAST GOVERNMENTS
If this is the case then why always blame the past Government to be corrupt. There is no difference between the present Government and Past- both are corrupt. Past government was corrupt because of low salary and Fiji First is corrupt but they themselves pay high salary. But what is the guarantee that despite being paid highly they are not corrupt (because they already admit to be corrupt if not highly paid). Well the record speaks volume, like getting paid from Nur Banos firm, etc, etc. Getting themselves paid such highly and increases after Winston is corruption in itself.
The AG was targeting budget consultations to CAMPAIGN but got a good surprise by the student. Most students will be 18 by next years election and others will influence parents etc on AG’s bullshits, high foreign reserves (but students still in tents…
The student did what the Fiji first deserves. The explanation is laughable and wonders what students will think about AS majority of responsible workforce paid far so less and relations to corruptions that they can be engaged NATIONWIDE.
Well if same question was asked by opposition the response would have been ‘cheap political scoring points’ ‘politicizing’ etc. If for any grave concern a politician will not raise issue then who will raise the issue? And if anything is raised in THE parliament then the madam speaker is there to save FF as ‘Madam speaker, bla.bla,bla (after all you are on our side), Madam speaker to opposition –“..Withdraw that statement,…
Therefore past governments should not be blamed and reasons to remove them are not justifiable by FF as they claimed and FORCEFULLY removed them. The leaders should challenge this matter and now.

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Gulong

22/4/2017 07:32:27 pm

Lord Bernard Shaw said everyone has a price from the lowly prostitute to the highest office holder. With Khaiyum!s admission that all that keeps him away from corruption is his salary of $400,000 means that any bribe needs to be higher than 400k to get Khaiyum's approval

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Chiku

23/4/2017 09:54:30 am

I agree. But first question first : How has Khaiyum got to be in THAT position where he can demand that salary for himself?
Was that on merit?
Nah, it was by taking a piggy back ride on the Fijian military and its rogue commander Frank Bainimarama.
No amount of sugar coating can change that central fact.
If it wasn't for the Bainimarama coup of 2006 where would Khaiyum be Now?
Certainly not commandeering a $400,000 salary!

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Kumar

23/4/2017 01:25:16 pm

What about people who want higher salaries and are not getting it are they being corrupted. Topiwallas analysis on corruption is corrupted in it self. Problem arises when someone starts to believe their own lies

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Rajend Naidu

23/4/2017 04:40:39 pm

Editor,
The Mob Who Know How To Look After Themselves.
We read in Your Life Choices 24 April that " Housing affordability may be one of the biggest talking for this year, but it seems our Parliamentarians have no problem buying big when it comes to property...
Time and time again, we're let down by politicians who use the system to their advantage. While everyday Australians are being told there's no money to support welfare for those truly in need, our MPs are jet-setting around the country on the tax- payer's dollar...
The country's 225 politicians declared ownership of 56/ properties worth $370 million.
Of the Government's 22 cabinet ministers Immigration Minister Peter Dutton owns the most with 7 properties..."
How many properties have some of our post coup politicians in Fiji
amassed by using the system to their advantage ?
Sincerely,
Rajend Naidu

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"...Secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy... censorship. When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, 'This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know,' the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives." --Robert A. Heinlein, -If This Goes On